Can I eat lemons during pregnancy?

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, or so the saying goes. Presumably, we are meant to drink the lemonade too. But what if you are pregnant when life suddenly decides to generously hand out lemons? Usually, lemons are considered healthy, and you probably find them pretty delicious too, although they might be a bit of an acquired taste for some.

But if you are pregnant when you get the lemons, you might be a bit skeptical of including them in your diet. After all, there are so many words of caution, and an equal proportion of encouragement, regarding this citric fruit. So what should you do? Read on to find out.

Rich in nutrients

First of all, lemons contain a pretty decent amount of a number of important nutrients. There are only 17 calories in a semi raw lemon, with almost zero percent fat. Lemons contain decent amounts of folic acid, magnesium, copper, panthothenic acid, manganese, phosphorus, niacin, calcium, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin C, and vitamin B6.

All of these nutrients are vital for maintaining the good health of the mother, and also the healthy development of the baby. These nutrients ensure that the baby’s organs and systems are developing well with no complications, and also boost the immunity of the mother and keep her from falling sick.

Helps with morning sickness

It is difficult to say how exactly anything sour helps with morning sickness, and there is no scientific evidence to back up this claim, but it has been seen time and again that sucking on a lemon helps in dealing with the symptoms of morning sickness. The first three months are usually fraught with morning sickness, which is highly unpleasant.

A slice of lemon in the mouth helps in keeping the nausea at bay; if the taste is too string for you, you can make some strong lemon water and take a few sips every time the nausea strikes. However, keep in mind that it is not a definitive remedy; especially, if the symptoms seem more severe than usual and would not go away with the usual methods, you should immediately consult a doctor.

May cause gastrointestinal troubles

On the other hand, you need to become more careful about eating lemons as your pregnancy progresses, depending on the status of your health. Stomach and intestinal troubles are very common during pregnancy, and the caustic nature of lemons may cause undue gas formation, leaving you bloated and highly uncomfortable. Gastrointestinal discomforts are also likely to increase as the pregnancy progresses, and eating lemons or drinking lemon juice might cause heartburn and other issues. Although none of these is usually particularly dangerous, they will certainly leave you feeling sick and highly uncomfortable.

Since lemons are a pretty tricky subject, the best thing to do would be to introduce them to your system slowly during pregnancy. Include a spoonful or two of lemon juice in your daily diet to begin with, and check to see if you experience any heartburn or other gastrointestinal problems. If there is no problem, you can safely have a semi raw lemon every other day.

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